WORKING ACROSS DISCIPLINES Master writing for film, television and theater.

FINDING INSPIRATION Discover Chicago, a groundbreaking hub of new theater and independent film.

BUILDING A COMMUNITY Collaborate and connect with our leaders in the entertainment industries.

MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage

ART. CRAFT. BUSINESS. VISION. COMMUNITY.

Our two-year MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage is founded upon these five principles, principles that have also guided Northwestern's highly successful undergraduate Creative Writing for the Media Program.

Art

What is it I want to say? What's the best idiom in which to say it?

Craft

What techniques might I use to elicit the response I want from my audience?

Business

How can I see my work funded, produced, performed and distributed? How do I create a portfolio that showcases my voice? Within classes, we explore pitching, business contracts and industry dynamics. Outside of classes, high-end artistic internships and independent studies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles take you into the professional worlds of theatre, film and television to learn on-the-job.

Vision

Rather than just plugging into existing opportunities and forms, how can I think about writing in a new way, combine different media, genres, or idioms and make use of technology to imagine not just a particular play, screenplay, or teleplay, but to envision what playwriting, screenwriting and television could be?

Community

Over the course of the Program the 12 of you will learn, work and grow together to form a close-knit artistic community. NU‚ alumni, individually and through the Northwestern University Entertainment Alliance, are known not only for their high profile successes in the worlds of film, stage, and television, but also for their willingness to help emerging graduates.

Art. Craft. Business. Vision. Community.
The MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage.

Our program combines the best of an MFA in Screenwriting and an MFA in Playwriting.